Its difficult to find the location of a particular thread that i responded to this morning. I want to see what the new respondents have to say. There are too many sections (in my humble opinion) in the forum. Its an issue i have with almost every forum i've been on. There's only one forum i've been on that gets right. Everybody else seems to be addicted to categories and classification. A general index to all threads would be handy for a quick reference so i could find the one i was looking for without having to open up all the forums. I just can't find that thread. And of course i don't remember what it was called. I would know if i saw it. But ideally, for me, i'd like to see almost of of them combined. I mean its all buddhism. Perhaps i'd keep the study section and the ordination section but combine everything else. I know this is not going to happen. But its what i would like to happen. Just letting you know that's its difficult to find the thread you want when you can't remember where it is. It would be easy with fewer sections. I"d only have to search through one list. Another reason why i like fewer sections is because more people would answer more threads. The conversations would have more talkers and give more views and aspects and so on. The threads would be richer reading.

I agree with you that the board is over organized. When I create a new thread it is hard to decide where to put it.

In reading the scriptures, there are two kinds of mistakes:One mistake is to cling to the literal text and miss the inner principles.The second mistake is to recognize the principles but not apply them to your own mind, so that you waste time and just make them into causes of entanglement.

I do not see any overlap in the sections, and I do not see any section which is duplicated through one or more other sections. Therefore, despite there being many different sections, it seems appropriate given the complexities of the subject matter.

$0.02

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

Nobody said the sections overlap, just that there were too many sections ( and with too many guidelines ).

In reading the scriptures, there are two kinds of mistakes:One mistake is to cling to the literal text and miss the inner principles.The second mistake is to recognize the principles but not apply them to your own mind, so that you waste time and just make them into causes of entanglement.

Jhana4 wrote:I agree with you that the board is over organized. When I create a new thread it is hard to decide where to put it.

Yeah, I agree, too.Of course, it is also not good if there are too few subforums, you have to find a middle way.But there could be 3 or 4 subforums less imo.On the other hand, it's subjective how many subforums are the best middleway.I still like this forum very much and more than all the other forums I know.

I like the forum just the way it is. Maybe for newcomers it's a bit difficult but they can get used to it.

He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' (Jhana Sutta - Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation)

Just so people know, we are cognizant of the issue of "forum sprawl" and only create new forums or sub-forums where we feel there's a legitimate type of Dhamma conversation that is difficult to otherwise have without some established parameters. To be clear, the purpose for having sub-forums isn't just to create more sections, it's to establish optimized parameters for the various kinds of Dhamma discussion that members have expressed an interest in discussing.

Metta,Retro.

"When we transcend one level of truth, the new level becomes what is true for us. The previous one is now false. What one experiences may not be what is experienced by the world in general, but that may well be truer. (Ven. Nanananda)

“I hope, Anuruddha, that you are all living in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes.” (MN 31)

mikenz66 wrote:And the forum is small enough to read using: view active topics, which effectively gets rid of the categories.

Mike

That's what I do - my bookmark for DW takes me straight to that view. I still find myself posting in some sections far more than others, just because some topics interest me more than others, but that's fine. The only problem that ever arises is that I can stray out of the sub-forum guidelines because I don't look at which one the topic was posted in. I know ... I should be more mindful.

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Or like what I do...Bookmark a thread and then make a second backup by updating the link on another document list according to topics...That's what I did for E-Sangha & one other forum ....until they went

Bhikkhus, if you develop and make much this one thing, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction. What is it? It is recollecting the Enlightened One. If this single thing is recollected and made much, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction.Anguttara-Nikaya: Ekanipata: Ekadhammapali: PañhamavaggaVSMVMMWBBTBHTWTBTMy Page

I think the suggestion has been noted.Mike has offered a resolution so I think its time to close this topic.kind regards

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725